Before long, it was morning, and although it was daylight, the beautiful clear night had closed in and looked like November rain was coming. The wind has shifted and was now coming from the north bring with it much cooler temperatures. Depending what the which way the temperature could go the precipitation could easily turn to snow.
Matt pulled on his coat and readied himself for the ride back to town, "Newly, you keep up what you're doing. Doc will be just fine in a week or so," the marshal stated as he assisted the stiff and achy store owner to his feet. Jonas humbly thanked the marshal as he gathered his coat from the floor and pulled it on.
"I'll take that other horse back with me, so it's one less thing for you to watch," Matt added.
Newly nodded. Jonas and Festus also watched on as Matt left the cabin, "I sure hope them bank robbers took a notion to goes somewhere's else," Festus said as he closed the door after the marshal left, trying to keep out the cold.
Jonas suddenly looked worried, "You don't suppose they are in Dodge, do you?" he weakly asked as he tried arching his aching back.
"They could be anywhere, Mister Jonas," Newly replied. "But we can't know and can't waste time thinking about them. We need to focus on Doc," he firmly said as they heard the sound of Matt and the horses disappear down the lane.
"Newly's right," the hill man agreed. "I'll get more fire wood. Mister Jonas, you try and cook something from the things you brought. We won't do Doc any good if we faint from hunger," he added as he too pulled on his coat to go out and forage for more fire wood. Jonas nodded and went to work with the few tools and food he had, "Festus, if you see a bird, bring it," he said looking over his shoulder just as the hill man reached the door. Haggen nodded then left.
Doc stirred and groaned with all the chatter. Newly was quick to his side, "Doc?" he asked looking down at the doctor; he adjusted the cloth on Doc's forehead.
Doc's eyes slowly opened, "Where am I?' the asked as he slowly looked around. He looked dishevelled with his salt and pepper hair all over the place and more whiskers than his moustache on his face; one more day and he'd give Festus a run for his money in a beard contest.
"You were shot three days ago. You're safe now," Newly stated.
A low moan came from the doctor, "My side and back hurt like thunder," he grunted. "In my bag a bottle of laudanum," he motioned.
Newly went to the doctor's black leather bag and searched through it, "I don't see anything in here, Doc," Newly looked up.
"It was in there," Doc sputtered as he head began to spin. "Look deeper," he groaned.
"Maybe you gave it to the Hayes boy for his broken leg," Jonas chimed in.
Doc clamped his eyes shut, "You're right, Jonas. I did," he said through clenched teeth as another stab of pain hit. Doc was slowly piecing together what happened even though it was still much a blur to him, "Whiskey, then," he muttered.
Newly picked up the bottle and realized that it too was almost empty. "Here, Doc," he said as he assisted the doctor so that he could take a few sips. That was enough for Doc as he was again out cold from the racking pain that shot through his side.
"We'd better think about getting Doc ready to transport back to town. I don't have enough of anything to give him decent care here," Newly grumbled as he looked further though the medical bag, hoping for another bottle of laudanum, or whiskey...anything, but there was nothing.
"We'll do as Matthew said and wait for him to return. What if them yahoos are in Dodge. We don't know if Doc tangled with them or not, but I guarantee that feller out that didn't die of no accident," the hill man stated. Newly agreed.
Matt rode hard and as fast as his buck-skin horse would allow on the country road with the other horse in tow. He slowed his horse as he approached town so that he didn't raise suspicion or worry. He turned his horse up Front Street and took a look around; everything seemed to be in order. He pulled Buck to a stop in front of the Long Branch expecting to find Sam setting things out or sweeping the veranda as usual, but he wasn't there. The marshal frowned and stepped down from his horse, tying it to the hitch rail and other horse to it as well.
Matt adjusted his hat and looked up and down the street before his eyes spotted Sam over at the general store.
"As I said, ma'am, Jonas was called out of town on official marshaling duties last evening," Sam tried to explain.
"I've never heard of such a thing! When will he be back?" the woman questioned rudely.
Matt reached the boardwalk in front of the store just in time to answer, "Hopefully later today, ma'am," Matt tipped his hat.
"Marshal Dillon. What possibly could have happened that Jonas was called out of town?" the woman huffed.
"Nothing that I'm willing or able to talk about at this time," Matt said as he tucked his thumbs over his belt. The woman eyed the marshal, "If I find out that he he's sleeping off a drunk in your jail cells, I'll tell the town council. He's been keeping the worst hours lately," the woman stated as she stuck her nose in the air and marched off.
"I bet she could use a glass of wine," Sam leaned and said to Matt in a hushed voice.
"Not even a whole bottle would improve her disposition. She's always had it out for Jonas," Matt noted.
"How's Doc, anyway?" Sam asked the marshal as they walked back to the Long Branch.
Matt shook his head, "He's not good, but we hope to get him back in town later today," he lamented as he watched Sam open the saloon doors. The two men walked in.
Across the street, Sloane and Winslow just came out of Del Monico's restaurant, "Hey," Sloane stopped Winslow with a hard jerk of his coat. "Ain't that Jeb's horse over there?" he pondered.
"Sure looks like it," Winslow stated. "I wonder who brought in," he added.
"Yeah. That would be interesting to know," Sloane leered as he pulled a new cigar from his shirt pocket and bit the end off, spitting out to the ground as he lit a match he dug from his vest pocket, lighting it with his thumbnail. Placing the match to the end of the cigar, he drew deeply, and his eyes narrowed, "I wonder if that old sawbones is still alive," he muttered and moved along the street a bit trying to see who brought Jeb's horse in.
"If he is still alive, he could identify us," Winslow panicked.
"Don't you think I know that?" Sloane shot a looked sideways at his partner. "Let's just stay here a while and see who brought the horse here," he growled and looked back across the street trying to look discreet.